Electric vehicles may use a battery system including a number of secondary (i.e., rechargeable) batteries to power the electric vehicle. Particular characteristics of the batteries, the battery system, and an overall electric drive system of the vehicle may determine a range of driving distance for the electric vehicle. Once the secondary batteries are discharged to a certain depth, the batteries may be recharged for subsequent use of the vehicle. For example, the electric vehicle may be stopped and connected to an external charger to recharge the batteries, which may be a time consuming process. In some instances, while the electric vehicle is in motion, the electric drive system may recapture energy during braking or deceleration of the vehicle, which may be used for recharging the batteries. However, it may be difficult to recharge the batteries effectively using such regeneration techniques due to characteristics of the batteries, the battery system, and/or the overall electric drive system.
The utility of a particular secondary battery generally may be defined by a number of performance characteristics, including capacity, discharge rate, charge rate, operating temperature, life, safety, toxicity, and cost of the battery. Currently, no single commercially available secondary battery chemistry is capable of providing optimum performance for all of these characteristics. Accordingly, selection of a secondary battery chemistry for a particular application typically involves tradeoffs between battery performance characteristics. In certain complex applications, such as electric vehicles, demand for optimal performance across the full range of performance characteristics may be particularly high. In the context of electric vehicles, users generally may desire improved electric drive systems that provide an extended range of driving distance as compared to existing technology. Although developments in battery chemistry have led to enhanced driving ranges in recent years, there remains a need for further improvement to electric drive systems and battery systems used therein.
The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict example embodiments of the disclosure. The drawings are provided to facilitate understanding of the disclosure and shall not be deemed to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of the disclosure. The use of the same reference numerals indicates similar, but not necessarily the same or identical components. Different reference numerals may be used to identify similar components. Various embodiments may utilize elements or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. The use of singular terminology to describe a component or element, depending on the context, may encompass a plural number of such components or elements and vice versa.